WHAT’S IN STORE
Both professional and home cooks agree that the key to any functional kitchen for daily living is in is ability to store essentials in style.
Snaidero’s Way Materia is the result of an evolution of the brand’s ‘ Way’ concept. With a focus on pure lines and clean design, the revolutionary design employs ceramic slabs of pure porcelain stoneware in large sizes and reduced thicknesses, and is ‘ Made in Italy’ from cutting-edge technologies.
Way Materia features Laminam ceramic fronts with large porcelain stoneware surfaces that are just three millimetres thick. And don’t let its soft colours and delicate nuances inspired by wet plaster fool you: it’s fully functional and offers a perfectly hygienic and antibacterial surface which withstands chopping with sharp blades, hot liquids such as oil and wine or scalding pans straight from the stove. Staining is a thing of the past, and cleaning requires only a quick wipe with a sponge soaked in warm water and a squeeze of detergent.
The volumes of Way Materia allow large items to be stored and the large cabinets integrate over-column elements, a solution that allows full utilisation of vertical spaces measuring up to 274 cm.
Designed by Stefano Cavazzana for Zampieri, the Irori open storage system was inspired by the Japanese sunken hearth from which it got its name. Inspired by this tradition, Cabazzana’s design blends tradition and innovation and creates a tribute to beauty and pureness of lines and materials.
Irori’s wood elements are created using the Shou Sugi Ban processing technique, a centuries-old Japanese method of wood treatment that uses superficial carbonisation: finishing wood using fire. A round tube designed to resemble a bamboo cane is used for all metallic furnishings, and the system can be creatively expanded or reduced according to the desired dimensions.
For those looking for capacious amounts of storage in a more pantry-like style, the Lounge kitchen system by Veneta Cucine offers a new, more evolved interpretation of the concept of maximum functionality.
The key elements of Lounge relate to its new proportions – the storage space is increased thanks to the extra dimensions of the wall units and cupboards (the height of the plinth has been reduced to 8 cm) – and the new design standards which have made its styling even more modern and sophisticated, with the use of new and perhaps unorthodox materials: refined woods or special machining, semi-matt or glossy lacquer finishes; and the new liquid metal finish and the Fenix laminates, decorative elements and steel.
Its real secret? The design is enhanced by Scrigno, a system of column units whose doors open into the lateral panels to reveal household appliances or create a new type of pantry unit. These column units are designed principally to hide accessories and household appliances from sight, but they also house a specially-fitted area with two shelves and LED lighting, a tower fitted with electric sockets, a removable steel shelf and a 120-cm base unit with two drawers and an internal basket. A range of different compositions can be created by combining one- or two-door Scrigno column units.
For a touch of Scandinavian chic, Nisse Strinning’s classic Swedish shelving is a storage all-rounder for String. It now features new accessories, including bottle trays and a wine glass hanger rack, allowing the iconic 1949 design to take on the home bar. Designed by Anna von Schewen and Björn Dahlström, the new accessories in the String+ range bring totally new functionality to the String system: for example, wine glasses can be stored in a filigree hanger rack mounted to the underside of the shelf. Hanging upside down, the glasses are held by several rails. Based on the ladder-like wire panels of the classic shelf design, the rack can be mounted to all metal shelves. The new bottle tray provides safe and easily accessible storage for beverages.
Even the jet set can’t make excuses for having takeaway numbers on speed dial, now that Dolce & Gabbana has debuted its new collaboration with Smeg to create home appliances that aspire to be works of art. Celebrating the beloved Italian region, Sicily is my Love is a tribute to Italy’s roots, its traditions and popular festivals in the form of a new free-standing kitchen set and cooker hood with a coordinated FAB28 fridge.